Until recently, people always read paper books in homes, offices, parks and libraries. Children grew up holding onto their favorite books and developed a love for reading through the text and tactile feel of paper books. Many of our fondest memories come from these moments.
But life is a continuum and the world of reading and books is changing. In the last 15 years, the e-book publishing explosion has begun. E-books are simply traditional paper books published in an electronic form. Unlike paper books, e-books require an electronic device to read them.
Early e-book readers did not always work well and did not always mesh with various computer systems in libraries. Today, this problem has been solved for the most part. There are still some problems however, because some companies like Amazon exist to make as much money as possible from their products. This sometimes results in their e-book Kindle loading books from public libraries awkwardly or not at all. However, if you want to pay Amazon for the title, the book will quickly and efficiently download to your Kindle. This brings up the whole question of public use vs. proprietary gain. What should the public get for free, and what should it pay for? This question is not going away anytime soon.
Which brings us to the next question: what are the benefits of e-books and e-readers? As it turns out, there are both advantages and disadvantages to electronic reading. Current e-readers are light, portable and, for the most part, easy to use. Users can store many titles on their e-books and not have to lug around 12 pounds of books. This is an advantage. Equally important, e-books are becoming part of the publishing and library world. Many books are no longer bought in the paper format by public libraries because so many people enjoy reading e-books. You do not need to be an anti-technology Luddite to see that holding your breath and demanding all books return to the traditional paper format is a futile quest. E-books are here to stay.
For those traditional bibliophiles desiring the smell and touch of paper books, good news is available as well. Paper books aren’t going away. I find myself torn by this discussion. I prefer paper books because of the feel, smell and touch of paper. I just finished my first full-length book on an e-reader. It was handy and convenient. My e-reader is light and easy to use. However, I don’t think I learned as much or remembered the plot of this book as well because I didn’t hold the actual paper text and literally turn the pages. This might just be my issue and not a problem for others. Perhaps younger people and adults using e-books are not so preoccupied with these concerns. My daughter constantly reads e-books on her cell phone, which seems like a strange medium to me, but not to her.
In closing, I would encourage the readers of this column to be open to using e-books. The text is clear and the e-readers are light and flexible. When enclosed in a leather case, e-readers approximate the feel of paper books for many people. On a more practical level, we need to get used to the ideas of e-books. When you search the catalogs of many public libraries, you will begin seeing more titles published as e-books. Don’t become angry or dismayed by this. The world continues to change.
If you decide to jump into e-books, get someone to help you set up your e-reader. Smart teenagers will have the e-reader set up in 15 minutes, if it takes them that long. However, despite these changes there will always be time for you to sit in your chair with your paper book, a cup of hot coffee and box of Girl Scout cookies. Now that is a good night. Happy reading!
